John Strickland was many things. He was a beloved basketball player and a legend of the Harlem Rucker League (the EBC to the uninitiated). He was a star for the Albany Patroons, and then spent two seasons with the Halifax Rainmen, before his untimely passing last year.
And thanks to Nike, you can now buy a pair of his sneakers.
This holiday season, Nike has released a special commemorative pair of John Strickland white-on-white basketball sneakers. The heels have Strickland’s nickname, “The Franchise,” printed into the leather. And the tongues have one of Strickland’s most famous catchphrases, “Finish Your Breakfast.”
Anybody who knew John Strickland knew that “Finish Your Breakfast” wasn’t just a message to have an extra bowl of Product 19. To Strick, “Finish Your Breakfast” meant that to win a basketball game, one needed to complete all the fundamentals before going for high-flying dunks. And Strick did that each time.
The shoe is a very limited edition pressing, and although it’s only available in brick-and-mortar shoe stores in New York City, the shoe is appearing on secondary markets like eBay. I’m going to get a pair at some point, if for no other reason than they look like a classic basketball shoe – and it’s a classy tribute to someone who loved the game of basketball like it was his oxygen.
Chuck The Writer 